The present disclosure relates to an ignition system for an internal combustion engine. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an ignition system that utilizes a single primary coil and a single secondary coil to provide current to more than one spark plug of an internal combustion engine.
Inductive ignition systems for internal combustion engines are known and typically utilize a permanent magnet connected to a flywheel that rotates along with a crankshaft. The rotating magnet or magnets pass by an ignition coil wound on a magnetic core that includes both primary windings and secondary windings. The secondary winding is connected to a spark plug such that current induced in the secondary winding provides the ignition source for the spark plug.
Inductive ignition systems typically include a trigger coil generally located close to the ignition coil. The trigger coil operates to interrupt the flow of current, which induces a high secondary voltage that triggers the spark between the spark plug electrodes. Typically, a separate primary and secondary winding is used for each cylinder of an internal combustion engine. This use of multiple windings increases the cost of the ignition system of the internal combustion engine.
Other types of ignition systems exist that utilize relatively expensive control units that control the timing of ignition pulses sent to multiple spark plugs of multiple cylinders. Although ignition systems that include electronic control units are able to control the timing of ignition signals, the cost of the electronic control unit is oftentimes prohibitive when the ignition system is used with a small, inexpensive internal combustion engine.